Angle Snowplow Blade Manually NEW VIDEO ADDED

[Winfield Dave]

This came about because I started plowing snow with my newest Cub, Hercules.
And realized very quickly that getting off and on to change the angle of the blade was for the birds.
I didn't want to spend the money or the time to install the hydraulic angling system some have on their plows,
so I started thinking about alternatives.
Being able to pull a cable to raise the pin, swivel the blade and drop the pin, all from from the driver's seat.
Here is one way to make snow plowing more enjoyable at a very low cost.

The hardest part of this project was the spring loaded pin (latch).
I tried to buy a pre-made one like this http://www.harborfreight.com/spring-gate-latch-assembly-95018.html

but the pin is only 1/2", not 5/8" like the typical blade pin.
You may want to go this route - it is a sloppy fit - but it makes the hole alignment easier.

So, I ended up making a latch. [There may be a latch available to purchase, I didn't want to spend the time looking]
Since there wasn't any tube or channel around our place, I formed a bracket from 1/4" steel.

Found a spring, cut a piece of 5/8" diameter rod and added a roll pin.

I figured on having 1-1/4" of rod protrude below the bracket into the blade holes.
Then welded a piece of a chain link that was lying on the table for a loop.

Tack welded it in place...This is a very tricky part....Hole alignment is critical.

I actually cut mine off and re-tacked it in a slightly different location.
It would be a good idea to check the bushing in your pivot bolt...this helps with hole clearances.
Also, the holes can be slightly off depending on whether the blade is suspended or lying on the ground.
After I was final welded, I ran a 5/8" drill bit thru the bracket into all of my holes.
Latch complete.

You may want to use one of these if you don't want to fab your own pin http://www.harborfreight.com/easy-grip-hitch-pin-91306.html

Rick P. or one of the other talented gents here may refine this idea and fabricate and sell a ready-made bolt-it-on latch with mounting slots for easier adjustment in lining up with your holes....hint, hint.

Then I went looking for some parts for the pulley.

My pulley wouldn't slide over a 1/2" bolt...But there was a bolt on the workbench that had threads messed up at the end.
So I ground it down to slide thru the pulley.
Here it is all assembled.


I had briefly tested the latch [spring-loaded pin assembly] with nylon rope and it seemed to work fine.
But the next day I wasn't happy with the amount of stretch in the rope, so off to the barn to scrounge.
I found a coated metal cable from an old dog run we had. This worked out better.

Still needed to come up with a handle to pull on the cable. And how to anchor it.
Thought about making some sort of lever mounted to the steering post, but there was about a 4" difference in the length of the cable
between the blade in the raised position and the fully lowered position.

I replaced the bolt thru the steering post with an eyebolt. Can you guess what it was from?



Found an old mop handle attached it to the end of the cable.


Routed the rest of the cable.



It works really well.
Below are some videos of the final testing...Pushing against a tree stump [no snowbanks available] to swivel the blade.
It also will swivel by dragging on the ground and turning the wheels one way or the other.





I hope you benefit from this little project. It was fun and it helps keep me in the seat - for more seat time !!

Last edited by Winfield Dave on Fri Jan 21, 2011 12:49 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[Bill Hudson]

Dave,

Very well done. I'm continually amazed at the level of creativity, both individually and collectively, that resides on this forum.

Bill

[EarlyCub49]

Neat setup, Some people will do anything to get more seat time.
Now, all you need is some SNOW,SNOW, and more snow.
Great job Dave.

Bruce T.

[Rick Prentice]

Simple and slick. Well done Dave

[Barnyard]

I reckon I will need to do this to mine now too. Thanks Dave.

[Cecil]

Great job. As mentioned I think you could hook it to the depth lever also.

[Rudi]

Dave:

I wasn't exactly sure how this was going to turn out. I figured it was going to be neat.. but this goes beyond neat.. it is kinda cool Very nice job an thanks for documenting it. I copied it to the How To Forum -- as another one of the How I Did That kind of posts....., locked it and it is now in safely in the In The Barn section of the CBoK Index with the other Cub-54 modifications.

Well done, it is really slick.

[Bill E Bob]

Simply elegant Involves just enough fabrication to make it interesting (without $$$$$ in machine tools required) and it is an inexpensive major improvement. Question: How far out can you have an adjustable axle before it starts interfering with needed blade angle

[Bob McCarty]

Very nice job Dave. By the way, did you ever get that stump pushed over?

Bob

[Winfield Dave]

Question: How far out can you have an adjustable axle before it starts interfering with needed blade angle

Bill...my axle is out pretty far...doesn't hit it...others will probably chime in today.

Very nice job Dave. By the way, did you ever get that stump pushed over? Bob

Bob...I actually did a test of swiveling the blade by dragging it on the ground, but didn't video it.

[Virginia Mike]

Well done!

[Rick Prentice]

I replaced the bolt thru the steering post with an eyebolt. Can you guess what it was from?

I hope you didn't snatch that off the neighbor's swingset

[Winfield Dave]

I replaced the bolt thru the steering post with an eyebolt. Can you guess what it was from?

I hope you didn't snatch that off the neighbor's swingset

Rick...YOU have the correct answer and win the contest.... and maybe a calendar...Oh wait, no calendars here.

[Groove Critter]

Nice job Dave,

I think it should be called the "Winfield" cold weather seat time increaser. What do you think?

Really nice work, it is always nice to see the birth of an idea turn into a success!!!
Dave

[RI Cub]

Thanks for posting the pics and video Dave, that really came out neat.

I love to see the video, it really shows how well it works,

Dave